1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector for use in e.g. a liquid-crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there has been proposed a lamp-holding structure for connecting a lamp and an inverter board (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-335227). The lamp-holding structure is comprised of a contact, a lamp-holding member, and a covering member.
The contact is comprised of a pressure contact portion, a contact spring portion, a holding portion, and a connection portion. The pressure contact portion is brought into pressure contact with a lamp terminal of the lamp held by the covering member. The contact spring portion is opposed to a holding board disposed at the top end surface of the lamp holding member in the direction of the thickness of the holding board. Further, the contact spring portion is movable in the vertical direction. The front end of the contact spring portion is warped upward. The holding portion is press-fitted in the lamp holding member. Thus, the contact is held by the lamp holding member. The connection portion connects between the pressure contact portion and the contact spring portion.
The lamp holding member has a first accommodating portion for accommodating the covering member and the connection portion of the contact.
The covering member has a lamp accommodating portion for accommodating one end of the lamp and a terminal inserting portion into which a lamp terminal of the lamp is inserted.
To hold the lamp by the lamp-holding structure, first, by press-fitting the holding portion of the contact in the lamp holding member, the contact is caused to be held by the lamp holding member. When the contact is held by the lamp holding member, the connection portion of the contact is received into the first accommodating portion of the lamp holing member.
Next, the lamp terminal of the lamp is inserted into the terminal inserting portion of the covering member, and one end of the lamp is received into the lamp accommodating portion of the covering member.
Finally, the covering member is received into the first accommodating portion of the lamp holing member. When the covering member is received into the first accommodating portion, the pressure contact portion of the contact is brought into pressure contact with the lamp terminal of the lamp.
To electrically connect between the lamp and the inverter board by the lamp-holding structure, it is only necessary to insert one end of the inverter board between the holding board disposed on the upper end surface of the lamp holding member and the contact spring portion of the contact along the upper end surface of the lamp holding member. As described above, since the front end of the contact spring portion of the contact is warped upward, when one end of the inverter board is inserted between the holding board and the contact spring portion of the contact along the upper end surface of the lamp holding member, the contact spring portion smoothly climbs onto the upper surface of the inverter board.
In the above-described lamp-holding structure, when inserting one end of the inverter board between the holding board and the contact spring portion of the contact along the upper end surface of the lamp holding member, there is a fear that the contact spring portion does not normally climb onto the inverter board but is pressed against the inverter board, causing the contact spring portion to be bent.